Cotton picker spindle slat fastening means



Nov. 22, 1960 M. D. RUST 2,960,312

COTTON PICKER SPINDLE SLAT FASTENING MEANS Original Filed Aug. 17, 19543 Sheets-Sheet. l

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COTTON PICKER SPINDLE SLAT FASTENING MEANS Original Filed Aug. 17, 19543 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. INVENTOR.

Mack D. P051 Nov. 22,1960

Original Filed Aug. 17, 1954 M. D. RUST COTTON PICKER SPINDLE SLATFASTENING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet. 5

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Mack D. P057 iinited States Patent Office 2,958,812 Patented Nov. 22,1960 COTTON PICKER SPINDLE SLAT FASTENING Mack D. Rust, R0. Box 428,Coalinga, Calif.

Original application Aug. 17, 1954, Ser. No. 450,370,

new Patent No. 2,835,096, dated May 20, 1958. Divided and thisapplication Feb. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 718,940

Claims. (Cl. 55-42) This invention relates generally to cotton pickingmachines of the type making use of a plurality of rotating spindles forthe removal of cotton fiber from the plant boll.

The present application is a division of my copending parent applicationSerial No. 450,370 now Patent No. 2,835,096 filed August 17, 1954.

Conventional cotton picking machines of the rotating spindle type employa large number of picking spindles arranged in vertically spaced rows.The spindles are adapted to progress successively through a picking zonein which they are thrust into the plants, a stripping zone in whichcotton carried by the spindles is removed, and a moistening zone inwhich moisture is applied to the spindles before returning them to thepicking zone. In

one particular type of cotton picking machine, which can be referred toas the Rust type (see for example Pattents 1,894,198, 2,058,514,2,085,046 and 2,466,969) the spindles are carried by so-called slat andhinge assemblies, with the slats secured at their upper and lower endsto endless carriers. Each spindle is provided with a driving rollerwhich engages a friction driving member whereby the spindle is rotatedas it progresses through the picking zone. The slat assemblies whichhave been used in the past have been subject to certain disadvantages.The means used for attaching the ends of the slats to the endlesscarriers have not been entirely satisfactory. Although an effort hasbeen made to make the slats quickly detachable from the carriers, tofacilitate replacement or repair, the hinge hangers or brackets employedfor this purpose have given trouble in field operations. The attachingmeans used for this purpose has been subject to accidental detachment,and under certain field conditions may afford difficulty in makingrepairs or replacements.

In general it is an object of the present invention to provide a slatassembly for a cotton picking machine which overcomes the disadvantagespointed out above.

More specifically it is an object of the present invention to provide aslat assembly having improved means for detachably securing its ends toendless carriers.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from thefollowing description in which the preferred embodiment of the inventfonhas been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Figure2, illustrating a slat assembly incorporatfng the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of a plurality of slat assemblieslooking from the left in Figures 1 and 2 with parts omitted and otherparts broken away and shown in section.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 44 of Figure3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 5-5 of Figure3.

Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the manner in which spindles can beremoved, and the parts of each slat hinge assembly.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawing, the slat as sembly 10 is asdisclosed in my copending parent application 450,370 and consists of amain frame or body part 11, which carries a vertical row of spindles 12.Each spindle is provided with a drive roller 13, which is adapted toengage a strip 14 of suitable material to provide a frictfon drivecapable of rotating the spindle while it passes through the pickingzone. The strips 1 may be carried by any suitable means, and may beyieldably urged toward driving relation with the rollers by means suchas disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 150,914filed March 21, 1950 now Patent 2,699,638.

The journal mounting means for the spindles includes the mountings 15,which are rigidly attached to the main body part 11 by the connectingparts 16. One mounting 15 is provided for each pair of spindles. Amodified mounting 17 is provided for the lowermost spindle, and thismounting is attached by member 18 to the main slat body part 11, as willbe explained in greater detail. A similar construction is provided forthe upper end of the slat.

The journals for each spindle are preferably provided by the journalbushings or blocks 21 and 22. These blocks are bored to provide a properrunning clearance with respect to the spindles, and in section arenoncircular, as for example square, as illustrated in Figure 3. Suitableanti-friction material can be used for the construction of these blocks.For example, I can use oil impregnated porous metals, or varioussynthetic compounds such as nylon or Teflon.

Special seating means is provided in conjunction with the body part 11,for seating the blocks 21 in such a manner that one may readily removethese blocks together with the spindles. Before describing such seatingmeans, it may be pointed out that the body part 11, which in effectforms the backbone structure for the slat, can be fabricated from sheetmetal to have a cross-section substantially as illustrated in Figure 2.Within the body part 11 I provide, at spaced intervals along the lengththereof, the journal block seating means 23. The ends of these journalseats can be provided with flanges 24 and 25, to facilitate attachmentto the front and rear walls 26a and 26b of the body part 11, as bywelding, brazing, and the like. As viewed in plan, the width of the seat23 is slightly greater than the Width of the corresponding block 21. Theupper and lower walls 28 and 29 of the seat are of limited length, asillustrated in Figure 1. An opening 31 is provided in the front wall 26,to loosely accommodate the spindle. Also an opening 32 is formed in therear wall, to accommodate the rear end of the block during assembly orremoval. Note that the openings 32 and 31 are extended downwardly andupwardly respectively. The limited length of the walls 28 and 29,together with openings 31 and 32, permits each block and the spindle tobe shifted to a position such as shown in Figure 6, to enable itsremoval. While the spindle and the block 21 are in horizontal position,or in other words at right angles to the length of the body part 11, thejournal block 21 is adequately retained by the seat 23.

The construction of each mounting 15 can be best understood by referenceto Figure 3. It can be fabricated of sheet metal as indicated, and theupper and lower ends form seats or saddles 36 for the journal blocks 22.The side walls 37 which define the seats or saddles can be cut away onthe contour line 38, as shown in Figure 1. except insofar as they areclosed by the removable member 39 (Figure 1). This member is in the formof a small box, which can be made of SuitabIemateriaIsiich as sheetmetal, and which is adapted-to be"clipped--over the mounting 15 andretained thereon by friction or sditable latching means. When in normalpositiontheiend walls 41 of this member extend across the b1o'c'k's'22;thus locking these blocks within the seats 36. It 'will be evident thatwhen the member 39 is removed, either one or both of the associatedspindles can be swung out of its seat 36 as shown in Figure 6, and thenthe spindle removed together with the journal blocks 'and the dr ivingroller 13. y

The parts 16 are in effect short cantilever members, which form a rigidconnection between the main body part 11 and the mountings 15. They can'be contoured as illustrated particularly in Figu're'3i 'In this instancethe upper and lower walls 42 are curved to generally conform to theperipheriesof the driving rollers 13.

Previous reference has been made to the mounting-17 and the member 18'ateachend of the'slat assembly. The member 18 can be made of a casting orforging of proper strength, and is suitably secured to the lower end ofthe body part 10, as by welding or brazing. Each member 18 serves tomount a removable hinge hanger or bracket 46. Each hinge bracketpreferably consists of a mounting plate 47, whch has the beveled ordovetailed elements releasably engaging complementary elements carriedby member 18 of the slat assembly. A first dovetail element 49carried'bythe slat assembly interfits a mating dovetail element 48rigidly connected to the hinge bracket 6. A second dovetail element 49acarried by the slat assembly is positioned with its beveled portionsubstantially parallel to but oifset from the first dovetail element 49.A matching dovetail element 48a rigidly connected to the hinge bracket46 has a beveled portion spaced vertically from the second dovetailelement 49a. The releasable locking lug 52 has a beveled portion 51aengaging the second dovetail element 49a and a beveled portion 51engaging-the matching dovetail element 48a. The lug 52 is carried by thescrew 53 which is threaded into the member 18 and serves to hold theassembly firmly together. As shown particularly in Figure 4 it isdesirable for the plate 47 to be provided with a straightlug 54, whichinterlocks with the recess 56 in member 18, the latter recess alsointerrupting the (love tail element 49. This interlockingarrangementserves to insure a fixed location forthe' member 18 relative to theplate 47.

It will be evident that with the arrangement described above, one canremove the bracket 46 from themember 18 by loosening the screw 53sufiiciently far to permit the plate 47 to beremoved relative tothe-dovetail or beveled portions 49 and 51'.

Each of the complete brackets 46' also includes the offset portion 57,and an arm portion 58; Arm portion 58 extends parallel to the plate 47.The free end of the arm portion 58 is provided with an opening 59 foraccommodat'ng the extended end 61 of a link pin 62. This link pin is apart of one of the endless carrier chains 63. The chain as illustratedin Figure 1 also includes guide rollers 64 which operate between theguide trackways 66 and 67 of the machine frame. Retraction of the linkpin from the arm 58 is prevented by suitable means such as the proviso'nof washers 68 and cotter pin 69. The lower endless chain'6'3 in thisinstance is also shown serving to carry the devices 71 which are in theform of plates having fingers which engage the stalks of the plant, asthe machine advancesover a-row of plants being picked.

While the picking spindles are passing through the picking zone of themachine they are substantially at right angles to the links of thecarrier chains to which the slat assemblies arexatta'ched. This issubstantially the posi- The remote ends of both the seats 36 are opention illustrated in the drawing. It is desirable for the brackets "46 tobe provided with lugs 72, thereby limiting swinging of the brackets ;ina clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 5. These lugs are showncarried by the offset portions 57 of the brackets, and are each adaptedto abut the arcuate surface 73 of the adjacent arm 58.

As previously stated the members 14 frictionally engage the peripheriesof the drive rollers 13, whereby the rollers and spindles are rotated asthe slat assemblies are moved through the picking zone. Members 14 canbe attached to any suitable support means, or for this purpose I canutilize an arrangement substantially as illustrated in my co-pendingapplication Serial No. 150,914, now Patent No. 2,699,638, filed March21, 1950. Such means consists of metal members 76 to which the members14 are secured, and which in turn are secured to the members 77 that aremovable relative to each other in a-vertical direction. The members 77serve to enclose a resilient tube 78, within which a predetermined fluidpressure is maintained.

Operation of the slat assembly described above is as follows: Assumingthat all of the spindles are properly assembled with respect to thebackbone part 11 and the journal mountings 15 and 17, movement of theslats by driving the carrier chains causes the rollers 13 to be moved byfrictional engagement with-members 14, with rotation of the pickingspindles. These spindles rotate freely withinthe journal blocks 21 and22, which as previously explained can be made of suitable material, suchas nylon. The main body 10 of the slat assembly frame has suflicientinherent strength to maintain all of the picking spindles in the desiredalignment. When it is necessary to service one or more of the slats, thecap 39 is removed from the mounting 15, and the spindle cocked to anangle as illustrated in Figure 6 and retracted. Thereafter a newspindle, together with the journal blocks 21 and 22, can be re-appliedby initially inserting it while disposed on an angle as illustrated inFigure 6, and thereafter seating the journal 22 within its associatedmounting 15, and returning the locking cap 39.

If one should desire to remove an entire slat assembly, this can be doneby loosening the upper and lower screws 53, whereby the locking lugs 52are retracted to permit removal of the plates 47 with respect to themembers 18. A new slat assembly can now be applied to the machine, andthereafter the brackets 46 rigidly fixed with respect to the members 18,by tightening the screws 53. These operations are carried out when theslat .is in a position in which removal and insertion of the slatassembly is not prevented by the proximity of other parts, such as-thedrive members 14. The same also applies to replacement of spindles.

I claim:

1. In a cotton picker, the combination of a vertically extending slatmember for mounting rotary picking spindles, a hinge member pivotallyconnectable on a vertical pivotal axis with a horizontally movableendless slat carrier, a 'first dovetail element rigidly connected withone of said members, the said dovetail element having a beveled portionextending in the general direction of movement of said slat carrier, theother of said members having a mating dovetail element in directengagement therewith, a second dovetail element rigidly connected withthe said one of said members and positioned with its beveled portionsubstantially parallel to but offset from the first dovetail element,the other of said members having a matching dovetail element having abeveled portion spaced vertically from said second dovetail element. andreleasable locking means cooperatively engaging said second dovetailelement and said matching dovetail element for releasablyinterconnecting said slat and hinge members, whereby said releasablelocking means may be disengaged to permit removalof said slat memberfrom connection with said hinge member while saidreleasable lockingmeans remains in loosely assembled engagement with one of said members.

2. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 1, whereinsaid releasable locking means comprises a dovetail locking lug and aretaining screw member having threaded engagement with one of saidmembers on an axis extending transversely to the general direction ofmovement of said slat carrier.

3. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 2, whereinsaid locking lug comprises a block substantially rectangular in generalshape and provided with a V-shaped groove extending along a verticalside thereof in the general direction of movement of said slat carrier,and wherein one wall or face of said groove provides a beveled portionoperatively engaging said second dovetail element, and the other face ofsaid groove provides a beveled portion operatively engaging saidmatching dovetail element.

4. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 3, wherein thesaid locking lug and one of said members have registering holes, andwherein said screw membenis a capscrew extending through the hole insaid locking lug and having threaded engagement with the said member fora distance substantially greater than the amount of retraction of thesaid locking lug required to permit separation or reassembly of the saidslat and hinge members, whereby to permit dismounting said slat memberfrom said hinge member or to reassemble same merely by loosening saidscrew a predetermined amount and without removing said lug or said screwfrom said member with which said screw is threadedly engaged whenassembled in normal operative relation.

5. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 4, whereinsaid first dovetail element is a part of said slat member, the saidmating dovetail element is a part of said hinge member, wherein saidscrew member has threaded engagement with an end portion of said slat,and wherein said hinge member comprises a horizontal arm or plateportion having a vertical pivot pin receiving hole and a verticallydisposed offset portion rigidly connected at its lower extremity withsaid plate portion and at its upper extremity with a horizontal plateportion which includes the aforesaid mating and matching dovetailelements.

6. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 5, whereinsaid hinge member includes a lug portion operatively engaging a portionof an adjacent hinge member, whereby to limit rotation of said hingemember about said pivotal axis in one direction.

7. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 5 wherein saidfirst dovetail element includes a recess and the mating dovetail elementconnected with said hinge member includes a straight lug portionoperatively interlocking said recess, whereby to insure a fixed locationfor said slat member relative to said hinge member.

8. In a cotton picker, the combination of a vertically extending slatmember for mounting rotary picking spindles, a hinge member pivotallyconnectable on a vertical pivotal axis with a horizontally movableendless slat carrier, a first dovetail element rigidly connected with anend portion of said slat member, the said dovetail element having abeveled portion extending in the general direction of movement of saidslat carrier, the said hinge memher having a mating dovetail element indirect engagement therewith, a second dovetail element rigidly connectedwith said end portion of said slat member and positioned with itsbeveled portion substantially parallel to but vertically and laterallyoffset from that of said first dovetail element, the said hinge memberhaving a match ing and opposing dovetail element with its beveledportion spaced vertically from said second dovetail element, andreleasable locking means cooperatively engaging said second dovetailelement and said matching dovetail element for releasablyinterconnecting said slat and hinge members, whereby said releasablelocking means may be disengaged from said matching and said seconddovetail elements to an extent sufficient to permit removal of said slatmember from connection with said hinge member or the reassembly thereofwhile said releasable locking means remains in loosely assembledengagement with said slat member.

9. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 8, whereinsaid releasable locking means comprises a dovetail locking lug havingtwo opposed beveled portions and a hole therebetween, and a screw memberextending through the hole in said lug and having threaded engagementwith said slat member on an axis extending transversely to the generaldirection of movement of said slat carrier, and wherein one of thebeveled portions of said lug bears in operative engagement with saidsecond dovetail element of said slat and the other operatively engagessaid matching dovetail element of said hinge member.

10. In a cotton picker, the combination set forth in claim 9, whereinsaid screw member consists of a capscrew having a head portion in loadtransmitting engagement with said locking lug, and a shank portionhaving a length of threaded engagement with said slat membersubstantially greater than the amount of retractive movement of saidlocking lug required to permit separation or reassembly of said slat andhinge members, whereby to permit dismounting said slat member from saidhinge member or to assemble same by loosening said screw but Withoutremoving said lug or said screw from said slat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,548,069 Rust Apr. 10, 1951 2,668,409 Bramblett Feb. 9, 1954 2,705,860Fergason Apr. 12, 1955 2,751,742 Keith et a1. June 26, 1956

